Knitting needle



March 25, 1941. T VCR-CK 2,236,325

xn rf'rme NEEDLE Filed Aug. 30, 1939 Imam/r0 flame l oeck Patented Mar.25, 1941 PATENT OFFICE KNITTING NEEDLE Theodor Vorck, London, England,assignor to United Elastics Limited, London, England Application August30, 1939, Serial No. 292,698 In Great Britain September 9, 1938 6Claims.

This invention relates to knitting and like needles and moreparticularly to needles for use in knitting machines and in shuttlelesslooms for knitting and weaving fabrics having a selvedged edge, warpknitting machines and crochet machines.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a needle of such aconstruction that failure to engage the weft or selvedge threads isobviated.

Another object of the invention isto provide a yieldable thread guidearranged in spaced relation to the needle but movable therewith andadapted to engage and direct the weft or selvedge thread into the hookedor similarly shaped portion of the needle.

A further object of the invention is to provide a yieldable thread guidewhich may be fixed to a member carrying the needle or which may besecured to the shank of the needle itself.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a yieldable threadguide which comprises a piece of bent spring steel wire or strip whichis arranged alongside the needle and extends towards the hooked endthereof. At the hooked end of the needle it passes below the needle hookand is then bent up beside the hook and finally extends forwardly andupwardly beyond the front of the hook to engage and direct the threadinto the hook as the needle is reciprocated. Various forms of guidemember are possible. The needle and guide member are preferably carriedin spaced relation on a holder block or thelike adapted to be mountedfor reciprocation in the loom frame.

To. enable the invention to be fully understood it will now be describedwith reference to the accompanying drawing which shows perspective largescale views of several forms of the invention:

Fig. 1 shows a loom part carrying a latch needle andhaving a guidemember accgrding to one form of the invention attached thereto, and Fig.2 is a similar view but showing a modified form of guide member.

Fig. 3 is a view showing a loom part carrying a latchneedle and twoguide members according to the invention.

Referring to Fig. 1 a holder or block I adapted to be mounted forreciprocation on a loom carrles a latch needle 2 of known constructionand a yieldable spring steel wire thread guide member 3 is also arrangedon the block in spaced relation to the needle. The guide 3 is parallelto the needle and at the point 4 adjacent to the latch. 5 is bentdownwardly and at the point 6 upwardly and forwardly so that the freeend '1 extends above the needle hook 8.

In use, as the needle is advanced towards the weft thread as it is laidby the weft laying mechanism the .free end I of the guide member 3 meetsthe thread and .is lifted thereby and as the needle advances the threadpasses over the needle between it and the guide as the needle recedesthe part 6 of the guide presses on' the thread and ensures that it isdirected into the 10 hook 8 of the needle. If desired the needle may bearranged between two guide members such as 3, the operation being asabove described for the one member.

In the construction shown in Fig. 2, the yield- 15 able guide member 3ais bent into a W-shaped curve at 9 the free end I'0 extending upwardlyas in Fig. 1 As the needle is advanced the end In is lifted by thethread and deflects it downwardly on to the needle, and then as theneedle advances 20 further the thread is pressed into the V-shaped bendII which ensures that the thread will enter the needle hook as theneedle and guide member recede. Again two guide members 3 may beprovided one on each side of the needle if desired. 25

In the construction shown in Fig. 3 two yieldable guide members 3, 3aare provided one on each side of the needle 2, the guide 3 being shapedas in Fig. 1 and the guide 3a as in Fig. 2. These guide members operatein the manner described above.

It will be understood that other shapes of yield- ,able guide membersmay be devised and that in all cases, if desired, the gu de member ormembers may be secured to the needle shank 2a and suit- 35 ablyspacedtherefrom instead of being mounted on a holder or carrier as shownin the drawing.

The yieldable guide members may be used with needles of various kinds,such as bearded needles, crocket needles or with any other needles orlike 40 devices used in knitting machines or in selvedge formingattachments for shuttleless looms.

Further a suitable needle and yieldable thread guide according to theinvention, may be mounted in a handle and used for repairing knittedgoods 45 by hand as will be understood.

While the thread guide members arepreferably made of spring steel wireor strip they may be made of other suitable material.

I claim: 50

1. In a needle loom of the type comprising a needle holder and means forreciprocating the holder,'a needle having a hooked end mounted in theholder, a yieldable thread guide attached to the holder and arrangedalongside the needle but in spaced relation thereto to guide the threadinto the hooked end thereof.

2. In a needle loom of the type comprising a needle holder and meansforreciprocating" the holder, a needle having a hooked end mounted in theholder, a piece of bent spring wire fixed to the holder and extendingalongside the needle to the hooked end thereofwhere it is bentdownwardly and then forwardly and upwardly beyond the hooked end todirect the thread -.into saidhooked end as the needle is reciprocated.

3. In a needle loom and in combination, as

'claimed in claim 2 an arrangement wherein the thread guide comprises apiece of bent spring wire arranged alongside the needle and extendingtowards the hooked end thereof, the wire being bent below the needlehook at the endthereof and then bent up beside the hook and extendingforwardly and upwardly beyond the front of the hook to engage and directthe thread into the relation to the needle and extending alongside theneedle to the hooked end thereof where it i is bent downwardly and thenforwardly and upwardly beyond the hooked end to direct the thread intosaid hooked end as the needle is reciprocated.

5. In a needle loom of the type comprising a needle holder andmeans forreciprocating the holder, a latch needle having a hooked end mounted inthe holder and two yieldable guide members secured to the holder one oneither side and parallel to said needle but spaced therefrom andarranged to direct the thread into the hooked end of the needle when theneedle is reciprocated.

6. In a needle loom of the type comprising a needle-holder and means forreciprocating the holder, a' needle having a hooked end mounted in theholder and a. piece of bent spring wire arranged alongside the needleand extending towards the hooked end thereof, the wire being bent belowthe needle hook at the end thereof and then bent up besidethe hook andextending forwardly and upwardly beyond the front of the hook to engageand direct the thread into the hook as the needle is reciprocated.

THEODOR VORCK.

